Redknapp scares Spurs into stealing a march on Liverpool in fifth place hunt

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LIVERPOOL (0) vs TOTTENHAM (2)

TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp admits he frightened his team into winning by warning them their holidays would be cut short if they missed out on fifth place.

Rafael van der Vaart and a Luka Modric (right) penalty earned Spurs only their second win from 14 games, a result which lifted them back in front of the Reds and in line for a Europa League spot.

Failure to finish fifth could see Tottenham reach the competition anyway through the Fair Play League and its gruelling schedule of qualifying rounds. That would mean players reporting back early for pre-season training, and Redknapp said he reminded his team of that threat in his pre-match team talk.

“I scared them before the game by saying if we don’t win today we are top of the Fair Play League, which means we come back in two weeks’ time and start playing,” he said. “They thought I was joking. That is going to be a nightmare for someone, I just hope it isn’t us.”